(06-22-2020 12:48 PM)Almadenmike Wrote:  

(06-22-2020 11:35 AM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  If anyone is interested in learning about the Roosevelt statue, you can read a little bit here. ...

https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/address...elt-statue

The nearly 16-minute video associated with this article is quite informative in places (aside from the too-frequent "I like it/I don't like it" comments from the public). It's well worth viewing (or at least reading the transcript).

There's some information on the written -- and perceived -- intentions of the statue's architect (John Russell Pope) and sculptor (James Earle Fraser).

Rice's David Brinkley is shown three times, with one quote discussing how TR was enlightened (receiving "huge outrage" by inviting the first African American man to the White House (Booker T. Washington) yet also an imperialist figure whose cringe-worth writings had "such a feeling of white supremacy."

(Unfortunately, the museum did not allow copy/paste of any part of the video's transcript.)

Here's a YouTube link to the museum's video, but this version does not include the transcript:

A quick Google also found this article from the NYTimes, when the exhibit opened. Seems like this isn't new history for the statue - as mentioned before, it was first considered for removal in 2017.

Quote:Ideally, exhibition visitors will be able to identify some views that amplify their own and others that offer a new perspective, said the museum’s vice president for exhibition, Lauri Halderman.

“It’s not really about us providing the answer,” Ms. Halderman said. “It’s about us providing the springboard so that everybody else can take a look.”

Providing context is exactly the role of a science-based institution, the museum’s president, Ellen V. Futter, said in an interview. The Natural History museum has already taken a second look at other displays in the same light: The Old New York diorama that includes a stereotypical depiction of Lenape leaders, for example, now has captions on the glass explaining why the display is offensive.

“People used to walk by that diorama and pay absolutely no attention to it,” Ms. Futter said. “Now, they are stopping, they are reading it, and it’s having a high impact.”

I hope it isn't removed, and the current exhibit is made permanent.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/15/arts/...useum.html